System and method for providing the identification of geographically closest article dispensing machines

• US 9,495,465 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Brad, Maskatia, Imran, Rubinstein, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US13/551,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

A system and method of searching for physical media articles available from article dispensing machines within a geographic proximity is provided. Searching may include matching keywords in search criteria or using predefined search criteria for browsing of static or dynamic listings of media content. The method includes receiving a search request including search criteria, and searching the metadata database for a physical media article matching the search criteria. The method also includes determining the availability of the matching media article at an article dispensing machine. The geographic location of article dispensing machines with available matching media articles is determined, based on personally identifying information such as an IP or MAC address. The geographic location may be limited by a proximity from an audio/visual display interface. A search result set with the matching media articles is provided, based on their availabilities.

Claims

1. A method of searching for media content using a metadata database in communication with a processor, the metadata database comprising metadata identifying media content available at a plurality of article dispensing machines, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from a user operated device that includes a search criteria, the search criteria identifying one or more attributes for a requested media content, wherein the user operated device is not included in the plurality of article dispensing machines;

receiving device identifying information from the user operated device, the device identifying information comprising a MAC address or a digital certificate identifier of an audio/visual display interface;

determining a geographic location of the user operated device based, at least in part, on the device identifying information;

receiving a proximity limit that extends from the geographic location of the user operated device;

parsing the metadata database, and identifying a search set of article dispensing machines based on the parsing, wherein the search set of article dispensing machines includes a plurality of article dispensing machines within the proximity limit from the geographic location of the user operated device;

parsing the metadata database, and selecting selected media content satisfying at least one attribute from the search criteria based on the parsing;

generating a search result set comprising article dispensing machines from the search set of article dispensing machines identified as having available the selected media content;

when the search result set includes a plurality of the article dispensing machines;

ranking the plurality of article dispensing machines comprised in the search result set in order of distance from the geographic location of the user providing, to the user operated device; and

providing, to the user operated device, the search result set;

when the search result set does not include the plurality of the any article dispensing machines, providing, to the user operated device, matching media selections from one or more a la carte content providers identified as having available the selected media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifying information comprises one or more of an IP address of the user operated device, a MAC address of the audio/visual display interface, or a digital certificate identifier related to the user operated device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying media content images displayed in a user interface of an application executing on the user operated device based on the geographic location of the user operated device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the search request further comprises receiving predefined search criteria in response to a browsing request, the predefined search criteria for browsing of static or dynamic listings of the media content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a transaction request to access the selected media content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transaction request comprises a reservation request to reserve for pickup the selected media content with at least one of the plurality of article dispensing machines comprised in the search result set.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the transaction request comprises a pre-reservation request to pre-reserve the selected media content for pickup with at least one of the article dispensing machines comprised in the search result set when the selected media content is released.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving a payment for the selected media content, wherein the payment comprises at least one of a charge for the selected media content, a redemption of a promotion code, or a redemption of a credit code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected media content comprises at least one of a streaming media content, digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game disc.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the search result set comprises ordering the selected media content based on one or more criteria comprising a price, a version, video quality, audio quality, a title, a release date, a running time, chapter information, technical details, a format, a peripheral device requirement, number of players, online capability, an actor, a voice actor, a director, a studio, a publisher, a developer, a platform, availability of downloadable content, episode information, a genre, a critic rating, an individualized rating, a parental rating, a description, related content, media artwork, a media still, or a proprietary identification code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the geographic location of the user operated device based, at least in part, on the device identifying information comprises:

parsing a device address database;

identifying the device identifying information from the parsed device address database, and

identifying the geographic location of the user operated device that corresponds to the device identifying information based on the identification of the device identifying information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

Providing, to the user operated device, recommendation information identifying popular media content previously rented within the proximity limit that extends from the geographic location of the user operated device, wherein the recommendation information is displayed on a user interface of an application executing on the user operated device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the search set of article dispensing machines only includes article dispensing machines within the proximity limit from the geographic location of the user operated device.

14. A system for searching for media content available at a plurality of article dispensing machines, the system comprising:

a plurality of article dispensing machines;

one or more databases, the one or more databases including a metadata database that comprises metadata of the media content, and an inventory database that comprises the availability of the media content at the plurality of article dispensing machines;

a memory configured to store processor executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the one or more databases, and a user operated device, the processor configured to;

receive a search request from the user operated device including a search criteria comprising one or more attributes for a requested media content, wherein the user operated device is not included in the plurality of article dispensing machines;

receive device identifying information from the user operated device, the device identifying information comprising a MAC address or a digital certificate identifier of an audio/visual display interface;

determine a geographic location of the user operated device based, at least in part, on the device identifying information;

receive a proximity limit that extends from the geographic location of the user operated device;

parse the metadata database and identify a search set of article dispensing machines based on the parsing, wherein the search set of article dispensing machines includes a plurality of article dispensing machines within the proximity limit from the geographic location of the user operated device;

parse the metadata database, and select selected media content satisfying at least one attribute from the search criteria;

generate a search result set comprising article dispensing machines from the search set of article dispensing machines identified as having available the selected media content;

when the search result set includes a plurality of the article dispensing machines

rank the plurality of article dispensing machines comprising the search result set in order of distance from the geographic location of the user operated device; and

provide, to the user operated device, the search result set;

when the search result set does not include the plurality of the any article dispensing machines, providing, to the user operated device, matching media selections from one or more a la carte content providers identified as having available the selected media content.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the device identifying information comprises one or more of an IP address of the audio/visual display interface, a MAC address of the audio/visual display interface, or a digital certificate identifier related to the user operated device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to modify media content images displayed in a user interface of an application executing on the user operated device based on the geographic location of the user operated device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the search request received from the user operated device further comprises a predefined search criteria that is received in response to a browsing request, the predefined search criteria for browsing of static or dynamic listings of the media content.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more databases further includes an address database, and wherein the geographic location of the user operated device is determined by accessing the address database.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the processor executable instructions to receive a transaction request to access the selected media content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transaction request comprises a reservation request to reserve for pickup the selected media content with at least one of the plurality of article dispensing machines comprised in the search result set.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the transaction request comprises a pre-reservation request to pre-reserve the selected media content for pickup with at least one of the plurality of article dispensing machines comprised in the search result set when the selected media content is released.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the processor executable memory to receive a payment for the selected media content, wherein the payment comprises at least one of a charge for the selected media content, a redemption of a promotion code, or a redemption of a credit code.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the selected media content comprises at least one of a streaming media content, digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game disc.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to execute the processor executable instructions to determine the geographic location of the user operated device based, at least in part, on the device identifying information to:

parse a device address database;

identify the device identifying information from the parsed device address database, and

identify the geographic location of the user operated device that corresponds to the device identifying information based on the identification of the device identifying information.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to:

provide, to the user operated device, recommendation information identifying popular media content previously rented within the proximity limit that extends from the geographic location of the user operated device, wherein the recommendation information is displayed on a user interface of an application executing on the user operated device.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the search set of article dispensing machines only includes article dispensing machines within the proximity limit from the geographic location of the user operated device.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein the search set of article dispensing machines only includes article dispensing machines within the proximity limit from the geographic location of the user operated device.